Pasta Ruffles With Tomato-Basil Sauce

Ingredients

• 5 ozs. lasagne noodles, no-boil
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 (14 1/2 oz.) can plum tomatoes, with juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
• 1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen spinach, chopped, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1/2 Parmesan cheese, freshly grated, plus more for garnish
• 1/2 part-skim ricotta cheese
• 2 ozs. ham, lean, finely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°. Soak pasta in hot water 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
Meanwhile, in large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to color, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add tomatoes and basil; simmer, mashing tomatoes with potato masher, until thickened, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
In medium-sized bowl stir together spinach, Parmesan, Ricotta, ham and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper. Drain noodles and blot dry. Spread each noodle with about 2 generous tablespoons of spinach mixture. Beginning with the short side, roll up each noodle around the filling. Cut each roll crosswise into thirds (or sixths if using 7-by-7-inch noodles). Stand each piece on end and score an “X” about halfway through the roll.
Spread 1/2 cup of tomato sauce (per recipe serving 4 ) in bottom of shallow baking dish. Arrange pasta rolls, scored ends up, on sauce. Dab remaining sauce over pasta rolls, pressing lightly so that they open to form a ruffled top. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until heated through. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan and serve.
Precooked, “no-boil,” lasagne noodles make this dish a possibility for weeknight cooking.